Slitting-machine.



R. BURT.

SLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mm IIAY z. 1916- 1,286,934. Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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R. BURT.

SLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICAHON men rm! 7. me.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

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Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

R. BURT.

SLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION nu:o MAY r. 1915.

INVENTOR 0?. M

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PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES ROBINSON BURT, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 F. N.BURT COMPANY, LIMITED, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF ONTARIO,CANADA.

SLITTING-MACHINE.

Original application filed July 10, 1913, Serial No. 778,255.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Divided and this application filed March 7, 1916. Serial No. 82,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Roemson BURT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Slitting-Machines, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to slitting machines, and with respect to itsmore specific features, to machines of the character referred to forslitting paper boxes.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a practicaldevice wherewith boxes, such as the small, relatively stifl' paper boxesordinarily employed as a con tainer for cigarettes, may be slit onpredetermined lines.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple andefiicient machine wherewith the covering labels or paper strips onsectional paper boxes may be slit' in line with the joint between thebase and cover at one side of the box, thus permitting the label orstrip to serve as a hinge between the base and cover at the oppositeside of the box.

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of a practical machineof the character referred to wherein the combined slitting of the boxes,supplying boxes to be slit, and the removal of slitted boxes is entirelyautomatic.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, andwherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line :v-w of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of a portion of Fig. 1, enlarged;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line y-y, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through a portion of the mechanism online 2z, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail of the machine;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the box through the hinge; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the labeled box, in open condition,after slitting.

The utility of this invention is prominently displayed when employed toslit the paper strip which is disposed around a twopart paper box, suchas the small paper box ordinarily employed as a container forcigarettes. Such a box comprises a base 1 and a cover 2, the basecomprising a flange 3 and a collar or neck 4, and the cover comprising aflange 5. The flange of the cover slides over the neck 4, and the edgeof the cover flange lies closely adjacent the shoulder of the base atthe edge of the base flange. Across the line of juncture 6 between thecover flange and the base flange is a strip of paper or other flexiblematerial 7, usually a label, and this strip may cover one face of thebox and extend across the said line of juncture or joint, at oppositesides of the box. This strip may be adhesively attached to the box onthe face and sides during the manufacture of the box, and to open thebox is slit at one side opposite the joint, as at 8, the unsevered stripat the opposite side progiding a hinge 9 between the cover and the ase.

A machine for automatically applying a label strip to a base and coverinthe manner above described is disclosed in applicants application filedJuly 10, 1913, Serial No. 778,255, patented April 18, 1916, No.1,180,005, of which this application is a division. As the presentapplication has more particularly to do with that part of the priorapplication relating to the slitting of the labeled boxes, thedescription herein is confined to the mechanisms more particularlyconcerned with the results sought herein, reference being made to thefuller disclosure of said prior application where necessary ordesirable; The numeral 9' indicates a table or stationary frame, onwhich is supported a main driving shaft 10 having a belt pulley 11loosely journaled thereon and provided with one element 12 of a frictionclutch. A cotiperative clutch element 13 is splined on the main drivingshaft so as to be rotated thereby but having longitudinal movementthereon. The element 13 car ries a grooved collar 14, the groove ofwhich may be engaged by the fork of the usual shift rod. On the drivingshaft 10 is a gear 15 meshing with a gear 16 on a counter shaft 17,supported in bearings 18; and a chain 19 communicates motion to a camshaft 20 by means of bevel gears 21 and 22.

The boxes, labeled as hereinbefore described so that one or more oftheir faces, or portions thereof, include the labels, assume positionopposite a box magazine, the boxes being supported in a pocket 23 inrotary carrier 24, having a discharging plunger 25, this carrier beingthe lower carrier of the apparatus disclosed in the prior applicationhereinbefore mentioned.

In rear, on a level with the position assumed by the labeled boxes whenin position to be ejected from the lower carrier, is the box magazinejust mentioned, intd which the labeled boxes are successively pushed bythe discharger 25 of the carrier, each succeeding box advancing the oneahead of it. This magazine comprises up right side walls 26 and 27spaced apart suliiciently to permit the boxes to pass therebetween, andone of said walls, as 26, is free to move toward and from the othersufliciently to press the label on the box where disposed across thejoint between the cover and the base of the box. Said movable side wallor press-head 26 is vibrated by a lever 28 fulcrumed on the frame at 29,one end of said lever having a slot 30 engaging a pin 31 on the Wall 26and the other end of said lever having a roller engagement with a camgroove in a cam disk 32 fast on the longitudinally disposed rotary shaft20 journaled in brackets beneath the table, said latter shaft beingcontinuously driven by the means before stated.

In the present embodiment two presses are employed through which theboxes successively pass, said resses and their operating devices beingidentical in construction, as illustrated.

Slitter. After passing through the presses 26, 27, the labeled boxes areoperated upon by a cutting device, which slits the labels or coveringstrips on the boxes on a line opposite the joint 011 one side of thebox, thus leaving the base and cover at the through the opening 40 andtakes opposite side of the box hinged by the label. On the shaft 20, atthe extreme rear portion of the machine, is a cam disk 33 which causesvertical oscillation of a rock-arm 34 pivoted at one end to a bracket 35on the table and at its other end joined by a link 36 to a verticallyguided reciprocatory follower, or box-supporting head, 37, adapted toreciprocate in alinement with a guideway 38. Said guideway istransversely disposed relative to the path of the boxes in the boxmagazine opposite the position of ejectment of the labeled boxes fromthe lower rotary carrier and comprises front and rear walls 39, theformer having an opening 40 to permit the labeled boxes to pass fromsaid press into said guideway at one side of the guideway. The follower37 has a depending vertically arranged extension or stem in the shape ofa plate 41 having oppositely dis posed flanges 42, and said dependingportion is slotted on opposite sides, as at 43, a series ofanti-friction rollers 44 intersecting said slots and being journaled inthe flanges 42 by the axles 4:5, to which said rollers are connected.The plate 41 reciprocates vertically in the transverse guideway and isheld in alinement therewith by a suitable bracket on the frame having aplate 45 which bears on the front part thereof, and by a plurality ofpairs of hearings or retaining plates 46, 46 fastened to the frame andbracket, respectively, at the rear of the reciprocatory plate andagainst which the anti-friction rollers 44 are adapted to bear. By thisconstruction the follower moves readily up and down under the influenceof the rock-arm 34, and even though some adhesive should become attachedto the follower or its guide, ready movement of the former is permittedon account of the anti-friction rollers. The bearings 46 are out oftransverse alinement with the bearing 45', so that there is no tendencyfor the rollers 44 to drag.

The boxes from the lower turret pass through the presses, which latter,in this instance, become in effect a supply magazine for the guideway38, and as a labeled box is ejected from the lower carrier, or turret24, the rearmost of the boxes in the magazine is thrust into the slitterguideway osition gpon or opposite the support or ollower this latterbeing in its lower position 1 at that time. A resilient member or plate47 adjacent the guideway rests upon the tops of the boxes in themagazine, supports them in predetermined position therein, and guidesthem through the opening 40, the forward end of said plate 47 beingcurved upwardly and terminating at a point preferably spaced from thepath of the boxes when moved in the guideway transversely of saidmagazine. ()n the guideway wall 39 opposite the opening is removably andadthe slitter from the beginning to the end of ustably secured alabel-smoothing and the slitting operation. As illustrated, the pressingdevice comprising brushes 48 reupperand lower rolls 54 are spaced aparton the boxes and smooth and pressthe same a box so as to positivelvguide the boxes thereagainst as the boxes are lifted by the while theyare being slit. The slitter shaft follower 37. The brushes being spaced50 is supported in bearing boxes fastened to apart transversely of theguideway, the each of two upright yokes 55 and 56, and is overlappingedge of the label will not be provided with asmall bevel gear 57 meshingdisturbed thereby. with a larger bevel gear 58 on a shaft 59 con Abovethe opening 40, in the forward tinuously driven from the main drivingplate 39, is a horizontal rotary shaft 50 havshaft 10 through theinstrumentality of a ing removably secured thereto a label-slitsprocketand chain 60, as illustrated. The ting 0r severing means which, in thepresent slitter revolves very rapidly and makes a instance, comprises ametallic disk 51 havvery fine cut in the labels, sothat the reing asharp generally circular cutting edge, snltant ends thereof aresubstantially even. which latter 13 disposed to project slightly Thefollower 37 not only feeds the boxes into the guideway through a slot 52which past the slitter, but beyond the same into pomay be formed in thelatter, said disk being sition in rear of a pusher or ejector 61disdisposed in line with the 'oint 6, at one side posed on the oppositeside of the slitter from of the box as said box is ed by the followerthe box magazine, which pusher recipro- 37. Thus, as the follower islifted the box cates transversely of the guideway, and as is fed pastsaid slitter and the label is sevit moves rearwardly, pushes the box offthe creed at one side thereof in line with the follower and out o theguideway 38, prefjoint between the box sections, the other er'ably ontoa horizontal platform 62 having side remaining whole and servin as ahinge lateral Walls 63, sprin -held or otherwise for said sections. Thewalls 0 the guideyielding box-retaining 5 Way, at opposite sides of theplane of the eled faces 65 serving to prevent retrograde slitter disk,form abutments with Which the movement of the boxes into the path of boxmakes contact, and these abutments are movement of a succeeding boxthrough the a predetermined distance from the operaguidewav Each dog 64comprises a plate tivc edge of the disk and within said edge, 66 pivotedat 67 to a wall 63, said Walls so that the slitter will not sever theneck of each having an opening 68 through which the box. the beveledfaces of the dog roject. A

Directly opposite the edge of said slitter is spring 69 serves tomaintain t e boxes in a pressing roll or roller 53 journalcd on theupright position immediately adjacent the opposite guideway wall andprojecting into guideway. said guideway in line with the jolnt of theThe pusher reciprocates horizontally opboxes on the side opposite thesevered porposite the uppermost position of the boxes tion of the label,said roller 53 being adaptand passes between the lateral walls of the edto firmly press the label against the box guideway. Said pushercomprises a plate at the joint in order to secure its more efwhich isthe termination of a rectangular ficient attachment at this point andalso to reciprocatory rod 70, mounted to slide in press the box towardthe slitting disk 51 bearings on the upper portion of the yokes andagainst the abutments referred to, the 55 and 56. On the countershaft 17is a face abutments and roll 53 maintaining the roll cam 71 engaged by aroller of a cam rod 72,

to be slit in the same plane during the slitthe adjacent end of whichlatter is slotted ting operation. As particles of glue from and embracesthe shaft 17. The remote end the boxes might adhere to the walls of theof the rod 72 is bent upwardly and slides in guideway and obstruct freemovement of a bracket 73 adjustably fastened at the up the boxestherethrough, said Walls are proper lateral portion of the yoke 56.To'the vided with anti-friction rolls or rollers 54 end of the rod '72is adjustably fixed a lab projectin into the guideway at opposite orallydisposed connecting piece 74 which sides of t e plane of theslitter,these rollers latter is also ad ustably fastened to the having theirrotary planes disposed transpusher rod 70. Thus, as the shaft 17roversely of the plane of the slitter disk. tates, reciprocatory motionis imparted to These rollers allow relatively easy -movet e pusher rod70 throu h the connecting ment of the boxes, and at the same time saidinstrumentality just described, so that after boxes will be guided inroper position releach box is slit, it is removed from the slitativelyto said slitter an the roller 53 transter guideway by said pusher. Theguide versely of the rotary plane of the slitter aswalls 39, 39 arepreferably east as a part of surfing rectilinear movement of the boxesin substantial rame pieces 75, 75, bolted in a plane parallel to theplane of rotation of position at the rear end of the "table 9',

55 1 to aline with the edge of the slitter d sk 51,

- shaft 17 which frame pieces serve as supports for the platform 62andother adjacent parts hereinbefore described. 7

The .discharger 25 1S operated by a reciprocatory block 7,8,radialmovement of which is effected bya link 79 pivotally connected at80 to an oscillatory sleeve 81 on the carrier shaft 82, said sleevebeing oscillated by a rod 83 having aroller 84 operating in a cam groove85 ofa cam disk 86 on the counterforth more particularly in the priorapplication hereinbefore mentioned.

The operation of the machine may be briefly described as follows: A box,labeled as; hereinbefore described, will be placed in position oppositethe front end 7 6 of the magazine 77, and will be moved into themagazine by the discharger 25. The carrier 245 has four pockets '23,andas each arrives opposite the magazine 77 a labeled box is moved intothe magazine, until the boxes completely fill the magazine from one endto the other." Thereafter succeeding boxes moved into the magazine willmove or feed the rearmost boxes successively into position opposite thehead37, and successive upwar movements of the latter will eifectrelative translatorypassing movement between the boxes and the slitter,moving the boxes along 7 the guideway into cooperative relation with theslittertc effect slitting of the part of the box-or label in line withthe slitter. In the present arrangement the ends of the label do notoverlap each other, but are spaced apart on the bottom of the box. andthey assume position in the magazine with the end edges of the labelsextending upwardly. As the labeled boxes are move upwardly toward, theslitter by the head. 37, the brushes 4% smooth and press the ends of thelabels against the bottom of the box, and as theboxes are moved past theslitter, the edge of the disk severe the label opposite the joint inthebox at one side of the box, the roller 53 pressing the label againstthe box on the other side opposite the joint, causing the lalbel tosecurely adhere to the box at the hinge part the label. In the presentcase the boxes have just been labeled, and the adhesive or glue is moistand specially adapted for the operations of smoothing and pressing. Thebox is urged between the rollers 54:, and these rollers are disposed tocause the joint of the box held therebetween so that the-label is slit,or severed, directly opposite thejoint, the edge of the disk en teringbetween the edges of the flanges of the. base and cover. The depth towhich the edge of the disk penetrates is not sufiicient to near orslitthe neck 4; of the box, as the abutments limit the depth of cut to adistance less than that required to cause contact between the disk andthe neck. The

box having passed the slitter, will be in position opposite the ejector61, and the latter will push the slitted box ofi the head 37, onto theplatform 62, past the dogs 64:, which latter will keep the ejected boxesout of the guideway. The plate il prevents a succeeding box entering theguideway until the head 37 returns to its initial box elevatingposition, whereupon the operations are repeated on a succeeding ox.

Thus by the above described construction are accomplished, among others,the objects hereinbefore referred to.

changes could be made in the above construction and many apparentlyWidely different embodiments of this invention could be made withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the langua e used in the followingclaims is inten ed to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope o theinvention, which, as a matter of langua e, might be said to falltherebetween.

aving described my invention, what claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for boxes, a slitter proje ting into said guideway, meansadapted to more boxes along said guideway into cobperative relation withsaid slitter, comprising a reciprocatory head movable in alinement withsaid guideway, a slotted flanged plate connected to said head,anti-friction rollers journaled in the flanges of said plate andintersecting said slots, an bearings on opposite sides of said platewith which said rollers contact.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for boxes, a slitter projecting into said guide way, meansadapted to move boxes along said guideway into cooperative relation witsaid slitter, comprising a reciprocatory head movable in alinement withsaid guideway, a stem connected to said head, antirfriction rollerscarried by said stem, a stationary frame adapted to serve as a bearingfor said rollers at one side of said stem, and a bearing plate at theother side of said stem out ottransverse alinement with said. framebearing.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for boxes, a rotary slitter said guideway, a box pressingroller'opposite said disk on the opposite side of said uideway,anti-friction rollers projecting into said guideway with their rotaryplanes 7 11 1 disk projecting mm a rotatable slitter the transversely ofthe plane of said disk, a laterally disposed box magazine communicatingwith said guideway, means adapted to feed boxes from the magazine intosaid guideway, and means adapted to move boxes along said guideway intocooperative relation with said disk.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for boxes, said guideway, site said disk on the opposite sideof said guideway, anti-friction rollers projecting into said guidewaywith their rotary planes transversely of the plane of said disk, alaterally disposed box magazine communicating with said guideway, aresilient member adapted to contact and support the boxes inpredetermined position in the magazine adjacent the guideway, meansadapted to feed boxes from the magazine into said guideway, and meansadapted to move boxes along said guideway into cooperative relation withsaid disk.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aslitter, a guideway for boxes, means adapted to move boxes along saidguideway into and out of co6perative relation with said slitter, meansadapted to eject the boxes from the guideway, comprising a reciprocatorypusher adapted to operate transversely of said guideway, a platform ontowhich the ejected boxes move, and yielding box retaining dogs adapted toprevent retrograde movement of the ejected boxes into said guideway.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for boxes, a rotary slitter disk projecting into said guideway,a laterally disposed box magazine communicating with said guide way atone side of said disk, a box ejector operating transversely of saidguideway at the opposite side of said disk, a reciprocatory head movablein alinement with said guideway adapted to move boxes in succession intocooperative relation with said disk and thence opposite said ejector,means adapted to move boxes from said magazine into the path of saidhead, and means adapted to reciprocate said ejector.

In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a guidewayfor two part boxes having a label across their joint, edge of which projects into said guideway in line with the joint between the parts ofsaid boxes, means adapted to move said boxes past said slitter incontact therewith, and means adapted to press the labels against therespective boxes at the jointed portion thereof opposite said slittedportion.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for two part boxes having a label across their joint,

a rotary slitter disk projecting into a box pressing roller oppo arotatable slitter the edge of which projects into said guideway in linewith the joint between the parts of said boxes, means adapted to feedsaid boxes past said slitter in contact therewith, means adapted topress the labels against the respective boxes at the jointed portionthereof opposite said slitted portion, and label pressing means adaptedto contact a face of the boxes adjacent said jointed side as said boxesare fed.

8.5111 an apparatus of the character described, in combination, amagazine for a series of sectional boxes having a label across thejoint, means adapted to move said boxes successively from said magazine,a guideway transversely disposed relative to said path of movement ofsaid boxes and into which said boxesare moved, a rotatable slitter theedge of which projects into said guideway, and a reciprocatory followeradapted to move successive boxes along said guideway and thereby causethe label to be severed by the slitter in line with the joint at oneside of said boxes.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aguideway for twopart boxes having a label across their joint, arotatable slitter thp edge of which projects into the path of the labelsof said boxes at the joint, means adapted to feed said boxes in saidguideway past said slitter whereby said labels are severed in line withsaid joint, and means adapted to remove the preceding slitted boxes outof the path of succeeding boxes in the guideway and maintain them out ofsaid path.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a. slitter, meansadapted to cause relative translatory passing movement between boxes andthe slitter to efi'ect slitting of faces of the boxes and means adaptedto maintain predetermined rectilinear movement of the boxes in a planeparallel to the plane of rotation of the slitter from the beginning tothe end of the slitting operation, comprising guide rolls disposed tocontact the box before and after it is slit, said rolls being spacedapart longitudinally of the path of movement of the boxes a lessdistance than the length of the box to be slit.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, a slitter, means adaptedto cause relativetranslatory passing movement between boxes and theslitter to effect slitting of faces of the boxes, means adapted tomaintain predetermined rectilinear movement of the boxes in a planeparallel to the plane of rotation of the slitter from the beginning tothe end of the slitting operation and means adapted to maintain the faceto be slit in the same plane during the slitting operation.

13. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a slitter, meansadapted to cause relative translatory passing movement between boxes andthe slitter to effect slitting of fame of the boxes, means adapted tosite the edge of the slitter adapted to press maintain predeterminerectilinear movethe boxes toward said edge. 1!) ment of the boxes in aplane parallel to the In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, planeof rotation of the slitter from the be in the presence of two witnesses.

5 ginning to the end of the slitting operation ROBINSON BURT.

and means adapted to maintain the face to Witnesses: be slit in the sameplane during the slitting HAROLD C. COPPINS, operation, comprising aroll directly oppo- EDWIN P. S'rrrz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, D. 0."

